VG247 » Mike Morhaimehttp://www.vg247.com
VG247.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 22:43:40 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.1World of Warcraft’s sixth expansion already in the workshttp://www.vg247.com/2013/11/12/world-of-warcrafts-sixth-expansion-already-in-the-works/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/11/12/world-of-warcrafts-sixth-expansion-already-in-the-works/#commentsTue, 12 Nov 2013 00:20:22 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=425734World of Warcraft’s fifth expansion Warlords of Draenor was only unveiled at BlizzCon this weekend, but the one after that is already on the go.

Speaking to Polygon, Blizzard’s Mike Morhaime confirmed the sixth expansion is already in the works.

“We’ve already started working on the expansion after [Warlords of Draenor],” he said.

“We’ve never done that in the past. We’ve been doing one expansion at a time, sort of a very linear content creation model, and we’ve looked at ways that we can parallelize that. So that while we’re working on this expansion we’re looking at the new one.”

World of Warcraft produced just four expansion pakcs in tis first eight years. Morhaime said Blizzard plans to release expansions more rapidly in the future, in order to keep current players engaged and entice returning players.

“It’s going to be on us and our development team to continually look at ways to evolve the game and keep it relevant, and look for new ways of maintaining engagement within the game. We view expansions as a huge opportunity to do that,” he said.

“We recognize that we need to release them on a faster cadence than we have in the past. So we’re investing in the team and our resources to enable us to do that.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/11/12/world-of-warcrafts-sixth-expansion-already-in-the-works/feed/24WoW: accessibility is the best way to provide “an onramp to the game,” not F2P – Blizzardhttp://www.vg247.com/2013/11/09/wow-accessibility-is-the-best-way-to-provide-an-onramp-to-the-game-not-f2p-blizzard/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/11/09/wow-accessibility-is-the-best-way-to-provide-an-onramp-to-the-game-not-f2p-blizzard/#commentsSat, 09 Nov 2013 21:43:10 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=425335Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime has said when it comes to World of Warcraft, it’s important to keep content fresh and new, but not so much that the game is no longer recognizable.

Speaking with IGN during BlizzCon, Morhaime said when creating new content for the MMO, all players whether current, new, or returning, are taken into consideration.

“I think that WoW still has a long future ahead of itself,” Morhaime told IGN. “I think it’s really up to us to continue looking at ways to keep the gameplay feeling fresh and new. Adding new things to the game. Making the game more accessible for not only new players, but also players that played WoW at one point in time, and want to come back. I think maybe an unintended consequence of adding all of this content is that when you layer in complexity and add new things, the people who aren’t keeping up with all of that feel like they’re getting further and further behind.

“When they do come back to the game, so much has changed that it doesn’t feel as familiar as we want it to. I want it to feel like coming home. People invest so much time in building up their character, when they come back, even if they took a break for a couple of years, I want it to feel like it’s familiar, that they miss it, that they want to re-engage with the game.”

Morhaime also elaborated on his free-to-play comments made during BlizzCon’s opening ceremony, stating such a change wouldn’t be as trivial as many seem to think, and that accessibility – not going F2P – is the best way to provide “an onramp to the game.”

“If I had to prioritize, it’s our active players at number one, our returning players at number two, and then probably third is players who, after nine years, haven’t tried it yet,” Morhaime said. “People are doing different things. People are getting older. Nine years ago, some people weren’t old enough to play WoW. Now they are. We want to be there to be the MMO of choice for them as they grow up.

“I think that changing it into a free-to-play game is not necessarily very trivial considering the types of things we’d have to change. I think the focus should be on accessibility, providing a free onramp to the game. But if you really want to play WoW for any length of time, I think we’ll stick with subscriptions.”

Morhaime said he doesn’t see the MMO heading to consoles any time soon, although the possibility has been discussed by the team in the past. Instead, he feels there’s an “opportunity to have some type of connection to the world from mobile devices,” bu the team has yet to figure it out.

“I don’t think consoles are necessarily our best opportunity for World of Warcraft,” he said. “In terms of gameplay, our focus is going to stay on the PC, and then we’ll continue looking at ways you might be able to interact with the world from other devices.”

Click through to also have a look at faction zones, and the orc homeworld of Draenor through videos and screenshots.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/11/09/wow-accessibility-is-the-best-way-to-provide-an-onramp-to-the-game-not-f2p-blizzard/feed/10Project Titan job listings removed from Blizzard career pagehttp://www.vg247.com/2013/08/24/project-titan-job-listings-removed-from-blizzard-career-page/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/08/24/project-titan-job-listings-removed-from-blizzard-career-page/#commentsSat, 24 Aug 2013 17:09:00 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=401818Blizzard as removed job listings for Project Titan from its career page. While not really a surprise, it further proves Blizzard’s intent to revamp the game once thought to be the next, big MMO from the team. Activision-Blizzard announced during its last call to investors that due to the revamp of the project, some of the team members would be moved over to other titles in the works with a more immediate release in sight while a “new direction” was decided for Project Titan. Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime said at the time the company had gone through this “type of iterative process several times in the past,” and the team remains committed to the project’s quality. He also said the project would “likely not be a sub-based MMORPG.” Thanks, Massively.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/08/24/project-titan-job-listings-removed-from-blizzard-career-page/feed/3StarCraft 2 World Championship Series returns with $1.6 million in prizeshttp://www.vg247.com/2013/04/03/starcraft-2-world-championship-series-returns-with-1-6-million-in-prizes/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/03/starcraft-2-world-championship-series-returns-with-1-6-million-in-prizes/#commentsWed, 03 Apr 2013 02:31:40 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=354616Blizzard has announced big changes for this year’s StarCraft 2 World Championship Series, including a whopping prize pool of $1.6 million.

At a press conference in South Korea, as reported by Gamespot, Blizzard announced the championship series will be split into three equal, parallel streams in North America, Europe and South Korea.

In South Korea, GomTV and OnGameNet will host the league, while Major League Gaming handles North America and the Electronic Sports League will host the European side. Players will need to select and commit to a single region at the start of the series, although they are free to compete in non-WCS events in any region.

There will be three seasons over the course of the year, with regional and seasonal final events, and a unified global ranking system which draws on points award at each event. At the end of the three seasons, the top 16 players will compete in the BlizzCon Global Finals for the title of World Champion.

Each regional season will run for eight to ten weeks, with matches on weekdays so competitors can travel to external events on weekends. Non-WCS events will also give points, but how much has not been determined.

The whole competition will be livestreamed at 720p, via Twitch to western viewers, and next year there will be four seasons.

In an interview, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said the changes chould make the whole system easier to understand, and also avoid scheduling conflicts where players sometimes had to choose between different qualifiers.

“It’s very hard to follow, to really know what the relative importance of winning various things are. I think it really falls to us, to Blizzard, we’re really the only company in position to work with everybody, to help create a single storyline in the ecosystem,” he said.

This is not an empty claim – Blizzard has managed to get rival Korean eSports leagues OGN and GomTV working together for the first time.

Hit the link above for more details on how the World Championship Series is structured in all territories, and Morhaime’s reasoning for the changes.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/03/starcraft-2-world-championship-series-returns-with-1-6-million-in-prizes/feed/0World of Warcraft: next major update due ‘in coming weeks’http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/08/world-of-warcraft-next-major-update-due-in-coming-weeks/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/08/world-of-warcraft-next-major-update-due-in-coming-weeks/#commentsFri, 08 Feb 2013 12:51:53 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=338255World of Warcraft subscriptions are down due to a change in attitude from gamers, according to Blizzard chief Mike Morhaime. The studio has responded by rolling out more frequent updates to satisfy gamers who come and go regularly, and as such, the game’s next major update is being worked on now, and is due in a few weeks.

Speaking as part of Activision’s investor call last night, Morhaime explained the shift in player behaviour, “We have seen an evolution in player behaviour since the launch of Cataclysm. Players consume content quickly – they’re more apt to come and go from the community, which is why we are targeting more frequent updates.

“The development team continues to stick with the plan of more frequent content updates in the wake of the expansion launch, applying lessons that we have learned from past expansions.”

He added that the game’s next update will drop, “in the coming weeks”.

On the decline of WoW subscribers posted last night, Morhaime continued, ” I think another thing to note is, if you compare the month following Cataclysm and the month following Mists of Pandaria, the trailing months have been stronger with Mists and have seen an increase in engagement in all regions.

“We’ve always had competition for World of Warcraft in all markets. I think it’s fair to say that competition has increased, but I think it’s also important to point out that World of Warcraft is competing against all forms of entertainment for leisure time, and so that just underscores the need for us to continue creating new content to keep up engagement.

“With respect to China, despite the decline in subscribership it’s important to note that the engagement levels of the core audience did increase with the launch of the expansion.”

What do you make of Blizzard’s new approach and the falling WoW subs? Let us know below.

The mode is described as a “training area” where the difficulty gradually ramps up, and the AI offers advice on how to play. Having completed the training program, the player is offered the chance to play a real unranked match against the AI.

While speaking with PCGamesN, Mike Morhaime said the training mode is one of a couple of new features coming in Heart of the Swarm designed to help ease new players in.

“We want to make the game more accessible to players that aren’t necessarily ready to jump into a highly competitive scene,” he said.

“A lot of players never make the transition from the campaign to matchmaking – to playing against people they don’t know.”

Accessibility is also behind Blizzard’s decision to offer unranked matches.

“A lot of people do feel intimidated, at least at first, in playing in ranked play. Unranked matches are a big step in that direction,” he said.

“It’s a little frustrating the question keeps coming up because the math just isn’t there to support the assumptions behind that argument,” he said. “StarCaft 2 has the most value of any entertainment property out there. I mean, jeez, if you bought it during Black Friday, it was 50% off, 20 bucks. Compare that to the price of your so-called free-to-play games. Twenty dollars and you can play it practically forever.

“There are a lot of people who have purchased StarCraft and our other games, and they know what the value is.”

Morhaime’s comments suggest the firm looked into such a conversion, a move mentioned by lead designer Dustin Browder back in September, and found the idea lacking.

“We don’t have plans to make Diablo 3 an eSport. Diablo 3 was never really designed to be an eSport, and not every game necessarily needs to be an eSport,” the executive said.

Morhaime said StarCraft 2 was designed from the start with eSports in mind, making it ideal, and although World of Warcraft was not, it has certain “elelments” which make it work well. Diablo 3, it seems, is another story – but that doesn’t mean Blizzard will ignore its potential as a community event.

“There are certainly competitive things that we’ll be able to do with Diablo, and I think that at future Blizzcons we might set up different ways for people to compete at the game, but that’s very different from creating a professional tournament structure around something like that,” Morhaime continued.

“In order to do that, you really need to get everything right and you have to have the depth of strategy, you have to look at making sure that the strategies that are successful are balanced, and fun, and entertaining to watch, and all those things. So we’re not so sure that that’s where we should be focusing for Diablo. There are a lot of other elements of Diablo that are a lot more important.”

Diablo 3′s PvP side was promised months ago, and a few hints at it were included in patch 1.1, but the publisher has gone silent on the update in the interim. Game director Jay Wilson mentioned on Twitter that a news update is due soon.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/27/diablo-3-pvp-unlikely-to-become-an-esport/feed/1Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime named ‘Tech Entrepreneur of the Year’http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/20/blizzard-ceo-mike-morhaime-named-tech-entrepreneur-of-the-year/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/20/blizzard-ceo-mike-morhaime-named-tech-entrepreneur-of-the-year/#commentsTue, 20 Nov 2012 12:06:02 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=317314Blizzard Entertainment CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime has been crowned Ersnt & Young’s ‘National Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012: Technology Award’ winner for his achievements at the studio. Among them is Morhaime’s success in fostering an excellent and inviting culture at Blizzard, which the panel has said “truly differentiates the company.” Get more details below.

Professional service firm Ersnt & Young stated that the award, “Encourages entrepreneurial activity and recognizes leaders and visionaries who demonstrate innovation, financial success and personal commitment as they create and build world-class businesses.”

The Blizzard chief was voted as winner by a panel of 244 regional award recipients. Ersnt & Young’s statement continues, “Morhaime was recognized for his commitment to a high standard of quality that has propelled Blizzard Entertainment to the pinnacle of the gaming industry and positioned the company as an internationally recognized leader in interactive entertainment.

“Morhaime has developed a unique cultural environment at Blizzard – one that truly differentiates the company. As a development team finishes one project, it collaborates with the executive team on the next game.

“By including the development teams in the decision making process, the company is able to foster an environment where developers are extremely passionate and motivated in their work. The development team seeks feedback from employees throughout the company, making the development of a game at Blizzard completely interactive.”

Bryan Pearce, Americas director, entrepreneur of the year at Ersnt & Young said of Morhaime, “To use his words, Morhaime has unleashed his ‘inner geek,’ creating a cultural phenomenon that is unparalleled in the gaming industry.

“Morhaime brings a commitment to quality to his consumers and an inclusive work environment to his company, both of which have contributed to the immense success of Blizzard.”

The statement also notes that Morhaime and his two co-founders started Blizzard with an initial fund of just $15,000 before the studio became the major player that it is today.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/20/blizzard-ceo-mike-morhaime-named-tech-entrepreneur-of-the-year/feed/1“Online-only best long-term decision” for D3: Morhaimehttp://www.vg247.com/2012/07/19/blizzard-addresses-the-good-and-bad-with-dibalo-iii-state-of-the-game-letter/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/07/19/blizzard-addresses-the-good-and-bad-with-dibalo-iii-state-of-the-game-letter/#commentsThu, 19 Jul 2012 12:47:22 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=278324Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime has addressed issues and upcoming changes to Dibalo III over on Battle.net, and amidst thanking the fans for their support and patting his team on the back for the job it has done, he also admitted there were things still to be worked on when it comes to gameplay, and community feedback.

In the community letter, Morhaime discussed the many “challenges” the team faced when going from having “0 to more than 6 million players across multiple continents within a few days with a brand-new game.”

“For Diablo III, we looked at historical sales for Blizzard games and other top-selling PC games and watched preorder numbers,” he said. “We even upped our estimates to ensure we had additional capacity, or so we thought. In the end, it just wasn’t enough, and that is something we will work hard to conquer for future releases.

“In response to the immediate and overwhelming demand for the game, the team worked around the clock to support all regions, increase capacity, ship additional hardware to our datacenters, and troubleshoot and fix bugs as they sprang up. While things have by and large been running smoothly for several weeks now, various game-related issues have come up that we have either already responded to or are continuing to investigate (such as the latency issue some of you are experiencing) and make adjustments for.

“Rather than address every subject individually, I’ll just say that even as we work to address or resolve current issues, it’s always possible that further issues will crop up. We will continue to keep that commitment [to fixing issues] and respond to any new or outstanding issues quickly.”

Morhaime said the team knows the game “isn’t perfect,” but it’s working hard to “improve the game balance, build on our design, and listen to what players are saying to make it the best game it can be.”

“You’ll see additional improvements with patch 1.0.4,” he said. “On the game balance front, this update will contain changes designed to further deliver on the team’s goal of promoting “build diversity,” with buffs to many rarely used, underpowered class abilities.

“Another topic we’ve seen actively discussed is the fact that better, more distinct Legendary items are needed. We agree. Patch 1.0.4 will also include new and improved Legendary items that are more interesting, more powerful, and more epic in ways you probably won’t be expecting.

“We’re also working on a number of interface updates, including social improvements that will allow players to more easily view their friends’ achievements, more quickly join games, and more efficiently communicate with each other. In addition, we’ll be making updates to the auction house in the future to provide players with better information through tooltips and notices, offer improved search functionality, and more.”

Morhaime also touched on Diablo III’s “always-connected experience,” and said the current perception of it, is it’s an “online requirement [that's] nothing but an ineffective form of copy protection that has already been cracked.”

“While we’ve never said that this requirement guarantees that there will be no cheating or game cracks, it does help us battle those problems (we have not found any fully functional cracks). More important to us is that the online requirement is critical for the long-term integrity of the game experience,” he explained.

“I fully understand the desire to play Diablo III offline; however, Diablo III was designed from the beginning to be an online game that can be enjoyed with friends, and the always-online requirement is the best way for us to support that design. The effectiveness of the online elements — including the friends list and cross-game communication; co-op matchmaking; persistent characters that you can use by yourself, with others, and in PvP; and some of our customer support, service, and security components — is tied directly to the online nature of the game.

“These and other online-enabled features are essential to our design for Diablo III. That said, there are still improvements we believe we can make to expand the online experience and make co-op play even more rewarding, and this will remain one of our priorities moving forward. Overall, while there are some downsides to the online-only approach, I still believe this was the best long-term decision for the game.”

Through the link, Morhaime also discusses the real-money Auction House, patch 1.1, the PvP update, and said a system for max-level, high-powered characters is in the works to keep them playing.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/07/19/blizzard-addresses-the-good-and-bad-with-dibalo-iii-state-of-the-game-letter/feed/16Blizzard announces staff reductions, 90% not related to game developmenthttp://www.vg247.com/2012/02/29/blizzard-announces-staff-reductions/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/29/blizzard-announces-staff-reductions/#commentsWed, 29 Feb 2012 17:33:39 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=237702Blizzard has announced it has “conducted a review of its business based on current organizational needs” and because of the findings it will conduct a “global reduction in workforce” of approximately 600 employees.

The company anticipates approximately 90% of the affected employees will come from departments not related to game development and noted in the announcement The World of Warcraft development team “will not be impacted.”

“Constant evaluation of teams and processes is necessary for the long-term health of any business,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder. “Over the last several years, we’ve grown our organization tremendously and made large investments in our infrastructure in order to better serve our global community.

“However, as Blizzard and the industry have evolved we’ve also had to make some difficult decisions in order to address the changing needs of our company. Knowing that, it still does not make letting go of some of our team members any easier. We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the people impacted by today’s announcement, we’re proud of the contributions they made here at Blizzard, and we wish them well as they move forward.”

Best of luck to all affected.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/29/blizzard-announces-staff-reductions/feed/6Blizzard chief apologises for Blizzcon “error of judgement”http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/28/blizzard-chief-apologises-for-blizzcon-error-of-judgement/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/28/blizzard-chief-apologises-for-blizzcon-error-of-judgement/#commentsFri, 28 Oct 2011 03:13:25 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=212394Blizzard president Mike Morhaime has issued an apology for the use of a controversial video during Blizzcon 2011, and taken responsibility for what he describes as a mistake.

GayGamer posted an apology letter sent from Blizzard, signed by Morhaime. Here’s the missive in full:

“I have read your feedback and comments about this year’s BlizzCon, and I have also read the feedback to the apology from Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftain. I’d like to respond to some of your feedback here.

“As president of Blizzard, I take full responsibility for everything that occurs at BlizzCon.

“It was shortsighted and insensitive to use the video at all, even in censored form. The language used in the original version, including the slurs and use of sexual orientation as an insult, is not acceptable, period. We realize now that having even an edited version at the show was counter to the standards we try to maintain in our forums and in our games. Doing so was an error in judgment, and we regret it.

“The bottom line is we deeply apologize for our mistakes and for hurting or offending anyone. We want you to have fun at our events, and we want everyone to feel welcome. We’re proud to be part of a huge and diverse community, and I am proud that so many aspects of the community are represented within Blizzard itself.

“As a leader of Blizzard, and a member of the band, I truly hope you will accept my humblest apology.”

Prior to a performance by death metal group Cannibal Corpse at Blizzcon 2011, Blizzard aired a bleeped-out version of a video featuring front man George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. An uncensored version of the video revealed a violent and offensive tirade against Alliance players, featuring multiple homophobic slurs.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/28/blizzard-chief-apologises-for-blizzcon-error-of-judgement/feed/44Blizzard “not sure” if free-to-play is “the best model,” for WoW right nowhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/10/27/blizzard-not-sure-if-free-to-play-is-the-best-model-for-wow-right-now/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/27/blizzard-not-sure-if-free-to-play-is-the-best-model-for-wow-right-now/#commentsThu, 27 Oct 2011 16:02:57 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=212221Blizzard president Mike Morhaime has admitted the subscription-funded MMO market is a difficult one “to compete in,” but considering the value players get when paying a monthly fee, he feels free-to-play “doesn’t necessarily make for a better game.”

Speaking in an interview with Eurogamer during BlizzCon, Morhaime, like BioWare, doesn’t believe The Old Republic will be the “last large scale MMO” to use a subscription business model, despite a lot of “quality free-to-play experiences,” which are competing with sub-based MMOs in the market.

“I think it’s very expensive to make these games, especially if you’re expecting people to pay a monthly fee just to play the game, he said. “And so there are very few companies that can compete at that high level with those types of budgets. Definitely if you’re not charging anybody, they’re going to be a lot more forgiving about the experience they have.

“They haven’t paid anything. So in terms of developers entering the market, I can understand why a lot of games might choose to go free-to-play.

“For us, and even for EA with the Star Wars game, I think that the value that you get for the $15 a month is just unmatched. I don’t think you can get that amount of entertainment value anywhere. I’d put the $15 up against anything.

“I think that there’s an underlying, a fundamental assumption right now, that the less you charge, the more money you make. Which isn’t true. And it doesn’t necessarily make for a better game. I mean, everybody likes free… I think that definitely, players have seen a lot of really great quality free-to-play experiences, but I’m not sure it’s the best model for us right now.”

While WoW still charges a monthly fee, those who wish to give it go before signing up can download the game for free and continue to play for free until their character reaches level 20.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/27/blizzard-not-sure-if-free-to-play-is-the-best-model-for-wow-right-now/feed/46Friday Shorts II: ABBA, Ultima, SWTOR email goof, Gotham City, UC3 Subwayhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/09/30/friday-shorts-ii-abba-ultima-swtor-email-goof-gotham-city-uc3-subway/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/30/friday-shorts-ii-abba-ultima-swtor-email-goof-gotham-city-uc3-subway/#commentsFri, 30 Sep 2011 20:22:59 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=206371You didn’t think we’d let you get out of here for the weekend without another shorts post did you? What do you take us for? Some sort of benign entity with your best interest at heart? We scoff at you.

A video for One Piece: Kaizoku Musou, a joint effort between Namco Bandai and Koei Temco, can be watched here.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/30/friday-shorts-ii-abba-ultima-swtor-email-goof-gotham-city-uc3-subway/feed/3WoW: Cataclysm to launch in China next monthhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/06/22/wow-cataclysm-to-launch-in-china-next-month/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/22/wow-cataclysm-to-launch-in-china-next-month/#commentsWed, 22 Jun 2011 08:27:27 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=181533Blizzard’s announced it’s to release World of Warcraft: Cataclysm in China on July 12.

“We’ve always appreciated Chinese gamers’ passion and support for World of Warcraft, and we’re excited that they’ll soon be able to enjoy all of the great new content this expansion has to offer,” said Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime.

Cataclysm’s Chinese release should help push WoW sub levels back to around the 12 million mark after Morhaime confirmed in the company’s Q3 financial call back in May that it had decreased to 11.4 million subscriptions.

The timing of the launch is also an improvement, as noted by GI.biz. The expansion launches in the country seven months after it did in the west in December last year. It took 23 months to get previous expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, to release in China.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/22/wow-cataclysm-to-launch-in-china-next-month/feed/0Blizzard: WoW subs base decreasing, looking to deliver content updates “faster”http://www.vg247.com/2011/05/10/blizzard-wow-subs-based-decreasing-looking-to-deliver-content-updates-faster/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/05/10/blizzard-wow-subs-based-decreasing-looking-to-deliver-content-updates-faster/#commentsTue, 10 May 2011 07:40:59 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=169580Following the launch of its last big expansion late last year, Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime has confirmed that World of Warcraft has lost some of its userbase. That’s right, subs are actually going down.

“During the first quarter of 2011, as players have eagerly consumed the new content, we have seen subscribership return to prelaunch levels in the West,” said Morhaime. “We finished the quarter with more than 11.4 million subscribers worldwide. ”

The subs level is expected to pick up with the launch of Cataclysm in China, though, with Morhaime confirming that NetEase is “continuing to drive towards launching” the expansion in the country “later this year.”

In terms of new content, Morhaime added that Blizzard would looking at ways to introduce it faster, saying that players have become quicker at finishing new content quicker with experience.

“As our players have become more experienced playing World of Warcraft over the many years, they have become much better and much faster at consuming content,” he said, answering an investor’s question.

“And so I think with Cataclysm, they were able to consume the content faster than with previous expansions. But that’s why we’re working on developing more content. We launched our first update last week and we have another update that’s already in test. The response that we’ve gotten so far from players has been very positive and we really think that we need to be faster at delivering content to players.

“And so that’s one of the reasons why we’re looking to decrease the amount of time in between expansions.”

“I have an advantage there because I know Bobby personally and we have very long, in-depth conversations, so my view of him is not limited to small sound bites taken out of context,” the Blizzard founder told MCV.

“I can tell you that Bobby has been very supportive of Blizzard and that we have a great relationship with him. I don’t think the public image that some people have of him is fair or accurate.”

Morhaime also offered a comment on the oft-touted “Ativision-Blizzard merger”, maintaining that Acti did not purchase Blizzard.

“Our parent company Vivendi bought Activision,” he clarified, later detailing Blizzard’s feelings on the move.

“We were convinced that they did and that they were doing this for the right reasons, that the two businesses were complementary and that we wouldn’t be giving up our creative autonomy in any way. And that’s exactly how it’s panned out.”

Mega-publisher Activision was merged with the World of Warcraft creator in 2008.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/03/29/blizzard-boss-defends-activisions-kotick/feed/2Blizzard: Old Republic can grow MMO market “if done right”http://www.vg247.com/2011/03/18/blizzard-old-republic-can-grow-mmo-market-if-done-right/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/03/18/blizzard-old-republic-can-grow-mmo-market-if-done-right/#commentsFri, 18 Mar 2011 09:51:17 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=157126Blizzard boss Frank Pearce has said BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic can bring in growth to the MMO market, but only if it’s “done right.”

Speaking to MCV, Pearce said the MMO, the biggest competitor so far to Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, said that, as it was to Warcraft, building a universe that people hold dear would be a key driver for The Old Republic.

“This is a game that has an opportunity to grow the MMO market if done right and therefore is very important to the industry as a whole, not just EA,” he said.

Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime added the company hopes to see the title do well.

“It’s certainly a strong franchise and BioWare’s a great developer,” he said.

“We’ve talked about this internally and from our perspective we hope they make an enjoyable game because they’re going to bring in a lot of new players to the MMO genre, and those players’ idea of whether or not they like this type of game is going to be determined by that experience.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/03/18/blizzard-old-republic-can-grow-mmo-market-if-done-right/feed/15Blizzard releases second 20th anniversary videohttp://www.vg247.com/2011/03/08/blizzard-releases-second-20th-anniversary-video/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/03/08/blizzard-releases-second-20th-anniversary-video/#commentsTue, 08 Mar 2011 09:54:18 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=154465Blizzard’s released a second video charting its history as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. It has some Blizzard high brass, including co-founders Mike Morhaime, Frank Pearce and Allen Adham, talking about how it set up the company and more.

You can watch it on the Blizzard website through here. First video’s here.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/03/08/blizzard-releases-second-20th-anniversary-video/feed/10Blizzard turns 20, thanks fans for supporthttp://www.vg247.com/2011/03/03/blizzard-turns-20-thanks-fans-for-support/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/03/03/blizzard-turns-20-thanks-fans-for-support/#commentsThu, 03 Mar 2011 22:24:30 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=153709Blizzard co-founders Mike Morhaime and Frank Pearce have a very special message for you, delivered through the break in video form.

The Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, and World of Warcraft developer is celebrating twenty years in the business this week, and knows very well who it has to thank for that.

Morhaime and Pearce founded Blizzard in 1991 along with fellow recent UCLA graduate, Allen Adham.

Originally called Silicon and Synapse, the now world-conquering studio had its first major hit in 1994 with Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, although the earlier platform puzzler The Lost Vikings holds fond memories.

You ought to know what happened next.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/03/03/blizzard-turns-20-thanks-fans-for-support/feed/12Morhaime: StarCraft Ghost canned due to WoW insta-successhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/02/14/morhaime-starcraft-ghost-canned-due-to-wow-insta-success/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/02/14/morhaime-starcraft-ghost-canned-due-to-wow-insta-success/#commentsMon, 14 Feb 2011 22:13:46 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=148115Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime has said that StarCraft Ghost was canned in due part because of the overnight success that “exploded” out of nowhere for World of Warcraft.

He told attendees at DICE last week that it was down to decisions regarding resources with the title at a time where the company was working on WoW and StarCraft II.

“We have to choose, we can’t do everything,” Morhaime said during a panel.

“Our vision for what’s possible directs that. We like complex games and we like casual games.

Morhaime went on to continue: “They were working on StarCraft Ghost the same time we were working on World of Warcraft and StarCraft II.

“World of Warcraft exploded and we needed to make some resource decisions. It just wasn’t an environment in which a project like [Ghost] could succeed.”

StarCraft Ghost was a console-based spin-off in the StarCraft universe for PS2, Xbox and GameCube.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/02/14/morhaime-starcraft-ghost-canned-due-to-wow-insta-success/feed/4Blizzard “doing an investigation,” into Diablo III on consoleshttp://www.vg247.com/2011/02/10/blizzard-doing-an-investigation-into-diablo-iii-on-consoles/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/02/10/blizzard-doing-an-investigation-into-diablo-iii-on-consoles/#commentsThu, 10 Feb 2011 16:04:46 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=146951Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said during his talk at DICE yesterday that the firm is still looking into the possibility of Diablo III on consoles, but for now the firm prefers PC as a platform due to its flexibility.

“I think you could make an argument that a game like Diablo might play very well on a console,” said Morhaime. “It’s something that we’re actually doing an investigation into to see if that could make sense.”

However, the Blizzard president feels there are still a “number of issues,” that would need to be addressed before a consoles version is created. One hurdle is the ability to patch add expansions, actions which are much easier on PC.

Morhaime did, however, nod in agreement when asked if Dibalo III would be the easiest of Blizzard’s games to port over to consoles.

Last night during a financial call to investors, CFO Thomas Tippl said not to expect another release for Blizzard this year, but that two would be coming in 2012 – meaning the first expansion for StarCraft II and possibly Diablo III.

“Because Blizzard Entertainment has not yet confirmed the launch date for its next global release, our outlook [for 2011] at this time does not include the new game from Blizzard in 2011,” he said. “Should we not release a major title from Blizzard this year, we would expect, for planning purposes, to launch a minimum of two Blizzard titles in 2012.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/02/10/blizzard-doing-an-investigation-into-diablo-iii-on-consoles/feed/42Bioware: World of Warcraft established the MMO standardshttp://www.vg247.com/2011/02/10/bioware-world-of-warcraft-established-the-mmo-standards/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/02/10/bioware-world-of-warcraft-established-the-mmo-standards/#commentsThu, 10 Feb 2011 05:42:32 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=146840Speaking at the DICE summit in Las Vegas yesterday, BioWare’s Greg Zeschuk said World of warcraft is the “touchstone” for MMOs, and that the developer’s own offering, Star Wars: The Old Republic, looks to it for “standards”.

“It is a touchstone,” Zeschuk said of WoW, according to GamesIndustry. “It has established standards, it’s established how you play an MMO.

“Every MMO that comes out, I play and look at it. And if they break any of the WoW rules, in my book that’s pretty dumb.

“If you have established standards, WoW established them.”

After commenting that triple-A development is still a viable approach to gaming, Zeschuk conceded that The Old Republic is not expected to be a WoW-killer.

“It’s not like we’re actually going out there to beat anyone, we’re going out to place,” he said. “The audience will tell us if we have a place.”

Blizzard’s Mike Morhaime attended the same panel, and commented that failed MMOs do more harm than good for WoW itself.

“I don’t know that it serves the genre very well when MMOs come out and have all sorts of problems and players leave in frustration,” Morhaime said.

“Hopefully, new players will come in, experience it for the first time and find out that maybe they’re fans of the genre. If they get frustrated and leave maybe they won’t give the genre a try at all.

“So, do a good job,” he urged BioWare.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/02/10/bioware-world-of-warcraft-established-the-mmo-standards/feed/6Blizzcon 2011 dated for mid-Octoberhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/02/07/blizzcon-2011-dated-for-mid-october/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/02/07/blizzcon-2011-dated-for-mid-october/#commentsMon, 07 Feb 2011 14:11:09 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=145717Activision’s just announced details of this year’s Blizzcon, taking place from October 21-22.

The event will once again take place at the Anaheim convention center.

“We look forward to holding another exciting BlizzCon this year, filled with some great entertainment and competition, as well as the latest news about Blizzard games,” said Blizzard boss, Mike Morhaime.

“BlizzCon is built from the ground up with our community in mind — we’re pleased to be able to host an event where players can come together to have fun and celebrate their passion for gaming.”

AIAS has announced plans for a keynote panel for DICE next month, which will include the most recent four entrants into its Hall of Fame.

This year’s entrants, BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, will be joined by Blizzard president and 2008 entry Mike Morhaime; 2009 entry and Zynga consultant Bruce Shelley; and Cerny Games’ Mark Cerny, who entered the Hall of Fame in 2010.

The event will be moderated by NYT journalist Seth Schiesel.

“We’re looking forward to putting these five videogame legends on stage to open the tenth iteration of the DICE Summit,” said AIAS president, Martin Rae.

“It’s the first time the Academy has endeavoured to create a presentation of this kind.”

Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime’s told GT the company’s second MMO is one that can co-exist with its current massive multiplayer title World of Warcraft.

Speaking at Blizzcon last weekend, he added the new MMO won’t “replace” WoW.

“We are working on a second MMO. We’re thinking of it as sort of a next-generation MMO,” said Morhaime. “It’s not a sequel to World of Warcraft, we want to do something a bit different.

“We’re not trying to replace World of Warcraft, we think that World of Warcraft can continue co-existing with our new MMO and some people might prefer the new one, some people might still prefer to play World of Warcraft.”

He added: “But I think after building World of Warcraft the first time, we’re so much smarter now. We have a lot of expertise that we didn’t have before. And I think we also want to sort of… every massively multiplayer game doesn’t have to be similar to the ones that exist today.

“We think you can go in different directions and still have a great massively multiplayer experience and we want to sort of experiment with what that might look like.”

Blizzard’s EVP of game design Rob Pardo told Geoff Keighley at Blizzcon that any reveal of the MMO won’t be until 2012 at the earliest.

Blizzard says the latest sales are “building on the game’s momentum as the bestselling PC game of 2010 and the fastest-selling real-time strategy game of all time.”

“We appreciate all the enthusiasm that players around the world have shown for StarCraft II,” said firm CEO, Mike Morhaime.

“It was important to us to deliver an overall gameplay experience that was accessible, balanced, and fun, and it’s been gratifying to see how strongly the global community has already embraced the game.”